Musical instruments such as ukeleles, guitars, mandolins, and the like, which consist of a sound box, keyboard and strings which are plucked to produce the musical tones, have been popular in many countries for many years. The more expensive and sophisticated stringed instruments are noted for producing superior tone and can be regarded as high quality musical instruments. These high quality instruments are usually well made and are owned by professionals who take care of their instruments. Less expensive versions of these instruments, usually owned by amateurs, suffer from a number of defects. For example, the construction of the sound box in the less expensive models is not very sturdy with the result that the sound box tends to warp with changes in humidity. Warping changes the shape of the sound box and affects the tone of the instrument, generally unfavourably. In many of the less expensive instruments, the pegs used to hold the strings in tension tend to slip in their holding sockets, particularly as the instrument becomes older, with the result that the strings repeatedly go out of tune. Consequently, the pegs must constantly be adjusted to keep the strings in tune.
Many of the less expensive constructions of stringed instruments also do not stand up very well to extensive use and rough handling. The less expensive instruments also tend to yield over a period of time to the tension applied by the strings being stretched between the sound box and the end of the neck bearing the fingerboard. As a result, the instrument with time assumes a "bowed" appearance and the strings move away from the fingerboard with the result that they must be pressed harder in order to touch the underlying fingerboard. Thus the instrument with time becomes more difficult to play. The bowing process usually continues with the constant retightening of the strings until eventually the instrument becomes useless and must be discarded.